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Top 12 most searched cars of 2012: What cars did autoweek.com readers search for in the past year?

December 19, 2012

1 of 12The Ford Mustang was the most-searched vehicle on Autoweek.com in 2012.

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2 of 12The Toyota Prius was the second most-searched vehicle on Autoweek.com for 2012.

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3 of 12We think the 2013 Chevrolet Corvette deserves to be in the top five of our most-searched cars of 2012 list.

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4 of 12Coming in fourth place on our most-searched list, the Kia Optima offers stylish and affordable transportation.

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5 of 12The fully redesigned Ford Escape is available in several trim-levels and a variety of powertrain options so that each shopper can choose the best arrangement for their lifestyle and budget.

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6 of 12Jeep Grand Cherokee may have been the fifth most-searched car, but we are partial to the sporty SRT version.

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7 of 12Another redesigned model, the BMW 3-series is known for setting benchmarks in the performance sedan crowd,

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8 of 12It may not be flashy, but the redesigned Honda Accord is a solid sedan with a fuel-saving continuously variable transmission we actually enjoy driving.

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9 of 12A rugged all-wheel-drive sedan, the Subaru Impreza was the ninth most-searched car on Autoweek.com during 2012.

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10 of 12The Dodge Charger is a fine vehicle, but the Charger SRT8 is amazing!

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11 of 12Coming in at number 11 on our most-searched cars list, the eight-passenger Honda Pilot is a spacious option for families.

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12 of 12We're fans of the 2013 Ford Focus in hatchback form and think it offers a great value with near-luxury features in an affordable compact car.

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Here are the cars that you, our loyal (and casual, and accidental) readers, searched for most at autoweek.com during 2012. Some of the results are a bit surprising. For instance, how does a Toyota Prius rank second on a site that leans toward automotive enthusiasts? Seems a little odd, we know, but we like to think we're open-minded when it comes to car passion.

All assumptions aside, the numbers don't lie: Here are the cars our readers searched most in 2012.

The Ford Mustang is a perennial crowd-pleaser that offers muscle-car fun at a range of prices almost everyone can enjoy. The 2013 model has been exciting, especially with the launch of the Shelby GT 500. But what may be more interesting is what's in store for the 2014 model. Ford design chief J Mays assured our editors that the retro styling -- which has been successful for the brand -- will not be part of the next design equation.

Not a favorite among our editorial staff, the Toyota Prius maintains an enviable reputation thanks to its long history of purported environmental consciousness. Its popularity has been so great the nameplate has expanded to become a family of cars including the Prius V wagon and the smaller and even more efficient Prius C.

Kia continues to represent affordable driving and the good-looking Optima with its low base price and available hybrid drivetrain offers up a very budget friendly option that is as easy on the eyes as it is on the pocketbook. This sedan has a sleek and sporty look to it, despite the bow-tie-like grille and large fog-lights that resemble dimples.

Since the small-SUV market is hot and the Ford Escape was completely redesigned for 2013, we could've guessed it would top our most-searched list. The 2013 Ford Escape offers a fresh new look minus the boxy styling of the previous model, while also delivering equal amounts of comfort, performance and utility. And who doesn't love the hands-free liftgate? Our only beef with this ride is it can get a little pricey; in our recent comparison of five popular crossovers, it was in fact the most expensive.

Jeep fans never disappoint. They are loyal to the Jeep brand and are forever scarfing down as many Jeep-related tidbits as we can provide. We had a lot of fun with the Grand Cherokee SRT this year when one staffer took it on a spring break trip to Colorado. The 470-hp, 465-lb-ft V8 beast proved more than capable on those twisty mountain roads.

This classic performance sedan was redesigned for 2012 and had throngs of BMW loyalists chomping at the bit to get a first look. We were impressed with the new model for its ability to deliver good performance despite dropping from the traditional inline six to a turbocharged four-cylinder engine in the base model 328i. For 2012, the 3-series also grew a bit and received upgrades to improve fuel efficiency, such as auto stop/start that shuts the engine down at stoplights.

As one of the best-selling sedans in the United States, the Honda Accord naturally garners a lot of attention. A redesign for the 2013 model year made buyers even more interested. What most impressed us about the new Accord was the introduction of a continually variable transmission that performed well beyond our expectations. If the CVT is not your thing, a six-speed manual transmission is also available. Read our full drive review of the all-new Honda Accord here.

The Subaru Impreza is another vehicle that has incorporated the CVT in order to improve fuel economy, but we think most readers are searching Impreza for its all-wheel drive capability and rugged durability. Read more about the Subaru Impreza here.

The Dodge Charger offers an aggressive exterior look with the space and comforts of a family sedan, for those looking for the best of both worlds. But the Charger SRT8 is, as one editor put it, “mayhem on wheels.” The SRT8's V8 boasts 470 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque. What's not to love?

A practical family favorite, the Honda Pilot is capable of seating eight passengers in reasonable comfort for less money than such competitors as the Dodge Durango and GMC Acadia. We like the V6 in the Pilot, but feel the suspension could use some tightening-up. The five-speed transmission also struck us as outdated, considering so many competitors are now using six-speed (and up) automatics.

Last but not least, the redesigned Ford Focus made its debut in 2012 and has been popular across a wide range of buyers ever since. The Focus offers some near-luxury features at a fraction of the cost of an actual luxury vehicle. We're fans as well, at least of the hatchback version with the five-speed manual transmission, and we'll take another Focus ST for the Autoweek garage any time.